Mike McIntosh wrote:
I believe Path of the Paddle was filmed in one of Bill's favorite haunts: Lake Superior.
I think the river scenes were shot on the Pukaskwa River, and I know there is some footage of Superior - specifically Old Woman Bay?
I discussed this topic with Becky Mason at last year's Changing of the Seasons Ceremony in Temagami, and she would likely be able to give exact locations: she was present for most of the shoot.
Paul would definitely know as part of that film series....also check out Bill Mason: Wilderness Artist by Ken Buck....online review at
http://www.bcbooks.com/billmason_hearttohand.html:
Bill Mason: Wilderness Artist by Ken Buck
Can$39.95
Bill Mason slips his canoe into the early morning calm and it cuts silently through the water, disappearing into the mist … This is not a shot in one of Mason’s famous films—it is just another day of commuting to the office.
Bill Mason: Wilderness Artist is the story of Canada’s most famous canoeing artist. The camera lens and the pallet knife were his instruments. The wild places were his inspiration.
Bill’s first film for the National Film Board of Canada, Paddle to the Sea, won 11 awards and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Film in 1968. His work was nominated again in 1970 in the same category for his documentary Blake. By the mid-1970s Bill had become one of Canada’s most successful documentary filmmakers.
Bill Mason: Wilderness Artist examines Bill’s entire artistic career—his photography, cartoons, books and films. Created with the full cooperation of the Mason family, this book provides insight into a man driven by a passion for nature.
Author KEN BUCK was Bill Mason’s friend and canoeing partner, as well as the man who filmed him in Waterwalker and other films. From the making of Paddle to the Sea and the instructional paddling films, this book tells all. This book may be out of print....but in many libraries.